Don't Blink
by kimberlybluebelle
Summary: There is a new thief in Happy Harbor. Trained by Catwoman with a bundle of secrets she connects to the team in the most unlikely way. Who is Blink and could she really be Robin's sister? OC/KF Rating is subject to change depending on how I feel about KF at the time. Sorry I haven't posted in such a terribly long time, please enjoy this as I get my groove back.
1. Chapter 1

**Before the Justice League.**

Dick Grayson watched from the sideline with a little hint of annoyance. The eight-year-old wanted nothing more than to be up with his parents on the trapeze swing. Unfortunately for him, he was stuck on the ground babysitting his ridiculous, stubborn twin sister instead of performing the routine he and his father had been practicing for weeks. He crossed his arms over his chest in indignation; it wasn't his fault that she kept insisting that she was ready to perform when she clearly wasn't. Why was he stuck on the ground then?

The crowd cheered as his mother, Mary, performed a graceful pirouette before being caught securely by his father, John. Dick's glower intensified; he wanted to be up there, not stuck on the ground. With a huff he turned to remind his twin how annoyed he was with her but she was no longer behind him. He frowned, his irritation giving way to puzzlement. He had expected to see her sulking from her earlier argument with their parents. He casually peeked behind a few empty crates to see if maybe she had curled up behind them. Much to his surprise, he found the clothes that she had been wearing that afternoon in a crumpled heap but his sister was no longer inside them. If he hadn't known any better, he would think she vanished into thin air.

"Rose?" he called out warily, unsure if she was playing a prank on him. "Rose, this isn't funny. If you are messing around with the clown's props then you're gonna get it."

He half expected to hear her impish little giggle from the folds of the curtain in response. Instead, all he heard was the crowd cheering for his parent's acrobatics once again. He placed his hands on his hips, his unruly hair falling in his eyes as he tried to scan the backstage for Rose. Just when he all but gave up, a twinkle caught his eye. A twinkle that was much higher than it should be for someone who had been given strict orders to stay on the ground. Climbing steadily up the ladder to the platform was Rose. She had ditched her clothes for a sparkling, ruby colored leotard and red tights; her dark hair was pulled back into a loose french braid, strands falling out around her face. Dick couldn't make out her face but if he could he would see it set with determination and a touch of resigned rebellion. She was going to perform tonight whether her parent's wanted her to or not. Her brother was the only one that seemed to have made the realization that she had never practiced at the height her parents were performing at and she had never performed without a mattress beneath her.

"Hey! Wait!" he shouted loudly, sprinting over to the ladder. "Someone help! She's not a part of the show!"

She looked down at him for one solid second before continuing her climb. No, she was already in this far; she would finish and then suffer the consequences, whatever they may be. She reached the top and hoisted herself up. She had one chance to get this right, one chance to prove herself. The pads of her bare feet made contact with the platform. She stood tall and proud, watching her mother gracefully leap from her swing for her father's waiting hands. John Grayson's face fell as looked up at his swing. Something was wrong… He went to alert Mary but paused as he spotted a tiny figure clad in red.

"Rose? Rose, whatever you do, stay put," he called out carefully just as his wife let go of her swing for her favorite trick. "MARY, NO!"

Rose had about ten different, witty one-liners ready to call out but before she could decide, there was a series of snaps coming from the swings. Her eyes widened in horror as she watched her father's swing give out, sending him plummeting to the ground. She let out a scream but it was drowned out by her mother who had already been mid flight when her husband's rope snapped. Mary and John Grayson would unfortunately not survive this fall. Rose collapsed at the top, tiny hands reaching out, too afraid to look away as her parents hit the floor with a sickening puff of dust surrounding them. She didn't have to hear the gasping and crying from the crowd to understand what had happened.

"NO!"

Rose flinched as her brother's voice rang out from beneath her and her twin knelt next to his parents. Her stomach twisted with the thought that their death was directly caused by her. If she hadn't distracted them, they would probably have jumped to safety. Now, because of her selfish actions, she had directly caused the death of her parents. Her eyes widened as she came to grips with this fact. She caused this horrible accident. If she had stayed where she had been told then her father would have easily noticed the weakening rope and changed his plans. It was all her fault and her brother would never forgive her.

She wanted to climb down but it was almost impossible for her to move. Her legs refused to budge, no matter how much she wanted to be on the ground with her family. The eight-year-old curled herself into a ball for an immeasurable amount of time. As a matter of fact, if Dick hadn't alerted the authorities that he saw her climbing up to the platform she would likely have been up there until it came time for the circus to leave again. She was finally pulled from her trance by a voice calling her name.

"Rose? Rose Grayson?" A man called out gently to her. "I am Officer Gordon. I'm here to help you down."

She peered at him. How long had she been up here? He stepped onto the platform and very gently lifted her into a seated position. He sighed, looking at her with nothing short of sympathy. It made her stomach twist again as his looks reminded her of the reality of the situation she was in. She let out a tiny whimper and pulled her knees up to her chest.

"Listen," the officer began gently, "I understand you are frightened but we have to get you down. Your brother is waiting for you down there. Can you climb onto my back and hold on to me? I can get us both down safely if you can hold on."

She shook her head frantically. Not in response to if she could be trusted to hold tight to the officer but because she was so afraid to face her brother. What was going to happen to them? Where would they go? Would they be sent to an orphanage? How could she even look her brother in the face after knowing what she had done? Her face crumpled with tears and she scooted away from the officer who let out a startled gasp.

Rose's heart froze as she lost what little balance she had on the already cramped space. Without even enough time to scream or reach out for help, she went careening backwards into the empty air. Just as her gasp began to turn into a scream she thumped into something warm that wrapped her tightly against its chest. Applause broke out beneath them and for a split second her heart dared to dream that her father was her rescuer. Her hope was short lived though when she looked up to see the Caped Crusader himself, Batman. He offered her a small smile as he fluidly lowered them to the ground. After a soft landing, he placed her on her feet and knelt down in front of her with a hand resting on her shoulder.

"Wait here," he instructed gravely, looking above at the officer who had already begun climbing down. "Someone will be with you shortly."

"ROSIE!" a strangled cry called out on the opposite end of the circus ring.

She turned away from the hero for only a moment to spot her brother running around the scene of the accident as fast as he could squeeze through the crowd. She gasped in fear and turned to her rescuer about to beg for mercy but he was already gone. She had caused the death of her parents; surely the officer above her was coming down to have her arrested. She took one fleeting glance at Dick before taking one step backwards. He was far enough away where she might actually make it out. She could face being arrested but she could not face her brother, not after what she had done. So, with a big breath, she turned and fled. She raced to where she had hidden her clothes, and snatched them as quickly as she could before racing over to one of the exits.

She was lost easily in the crowd but she had to be careful. Her costume was designed to stand out and make her easy to spot. She frantically pulled her t-shirt and jumper on over her head as she sprinted through. She had no shoes with her so in a jumper, red tights, and bare feet she reached the cool night air. She had to hurry and find somewhere to hide. She began pulling on car doors frantically, hoping to find one unlocked. She let out a sigh of relief when she found one unlocked She was about to clamber inside when a hand with five very sharp nails yanked her away from the door. Rose was turned to face a strikingly beautiful woman. Her pitch black curls fell flawlessly over her shoulders, bangs brushing just above her bright green eyes. Her full lips were stretched into a scowl that did nothing to hinder the beauty of this woman.

"What do you think you're doing?" the woman hissed, "Don't you know not to touch things that don't belong to you?"

Rose panicked. Her mouth opened and closed several times before she heard voices calling her name. They were looking for her, and about to find her if she didn't act quickly.

"Help me," she pleaded. "I need to get out of here."

The woman paused to look behind her at the group of people forming outside of the circus tent. She turned to Rose with a hint of curiosity. "You Rose?"

Rose nodded emphatically. "Please, help me."

The stunning woman seemed to deliberate for a moment before opening the passenger side door of the car. "Get in."

"Thank you," Rose breathed as she rushed into the seat and shut the door behind her.

As cool as a drink of water, the mystery woman walked to the driver's side door and slipped inside. With a sigh and a look she started the car and said, "I'm Selina. Want to tell me what sort of mess you have gotten yourself into?"

Until the day Dick Grayson died he would never be able to forget the sight of his father lying in a hospital bed. To be truthful, there was probably nothing about that day that he would be able to forget.

The fall, well, it didn't kill John but it had left him unconscious and most likely brain dead. The doctors wouldn't say it to the boy, but even if John were to wake up he would never have the same mental capacity that he had before. If John Grayson were lucky, he would be mentally deficient for the rest of his life. He would be obviously unable to care for his children even if he did wake from the coma; which left Dick and Rose, for the briefest time, orphans bound for foster care. That was until a phone call came in to the front desk. A startled, however kind, nurse shortly arrived to tell Officer Gordon and Dick that the pair had been adopted before they could even be placed into the system. The mysterious adopter was none other than Gotham's infamous billionaire, Bruce Wayne.

Dick had just been introduced to his new guardian, who was now being briefed by Officer Gordon about the now missing Rose Grayson. The boy could barely think straight. His parents had just fallen to their deaths, his little sister had disappeared in the dead of night, and now he had a billionaire offering to adopt him and help find Rosie? None of this made any sense. Unfortunately for him, he didn't have time to worry about what was happening around him. No, his first job was to find Rose and then he could sort out the rest of the details. A hand on his shoulder stopped his racing thoughts.

"Don't worry, chum," Bruce's voice soothed and calmed the boy for the first time in hours, "we will find her. You two will be safe with me."

It was a promise that Dick would hold on to for years to come; long after he adopted the name Robin, and long after he left Gotham for the Justice League. Little did he know, the thing he searched for was always close by but just out of reach.


	2. Chapter 2

Selina Kyle tiptoed across the bedroom as quietly and cat-like as her alter-ego suggested she would. One wrong move and this would all go south. If there was one thing she had learned about her protege in the years that they had been together, it was that Rose was decidedly not a fan of needles. Actually, that was an understatement; the girl was petrified of them. The mere sight of one was enough to have the kid slinking out of a room and running as if her life depended on it. Unfortunately for her, it made testing the girl's DNA that much harder. If she could just collect a small sample and bring it to Bruce, he promised to help find where the girl belonged. It was, and always had been, the right thing to do; Selina just wished she had done it sooner. The girl would be turning fourteen in nearly a month. If she could do anything for her, it would be to help her find where she belonged.

The sleeping girl didn't so much as stir as Selina tied the tourniquet around her arm. She took a moment, flashlight clamped between her teeth to help find a vein, to survey the girl that she took in a little more than five years ago. Her face had lost the child-like chub that she met the girl with. Her dark hair had been meticulously dyed turquoise and magenta and it presently fanned out across her pillow in a fantastic display. Beneath her closed eyelids and long dark lashes were beautiful crystalline blue eyes. She had truly grown into a beautiful young woman, weird color choices and all. Gently pressing the crook of her arm Selina found a vein and, after a quick rub with an alcohol wipe, drove the needle into the thirteen-year-old's arm.

Rose's eyes flew open. "What the—?"

Selina clamped her free hand down on the girl's arm for fear of losing all her hard work. "Don't move or, I swear to God, I will stick you again while you are awake. I'm already almost done."

"What are you even doing!", the girl gasped, her voice rising an octave as the situation became clear, "Is this even necessary?"

"Yes. Now, hold still for another second while I finish up here."

True to her word, a moment later the needle was deftly pulled out of the girl's arm—not without a yelp of protest from Rose—and a ball of cotton was in its place. Rose sat up with a glare, gently nursing her fresh wound. Her glare gave way to confusion as Selina began packing the vial of blood in the travel unit that Bruce had given to her. What would she want her blood for? It's not like there was anything special about her that it could be used for. She cocked her head to the side and looked at her mentor carefully.

"Want to tell me why you impaled me a second ago?"

Selina rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless. She looked up and announced, "Cholesterol check."

Rose narrowed her eyes suspiciously. That was a first. Selina was always very kind to her but usually left her to her own devices when it came to her health. Of course fitness was a priority with her, Rose's skills demanded that she stay in physical shape. Selina had taught her how to use her flexibility to their advantage to steal valuables which they used to pay the rent for the small apartment that they shared. They were not overly sentimental towards each other though. As far as Selina was concerned, it was Rose's body and she could do with it what she wanted as long as it didn't interfere with their work. Working for Catwoman demanded a great deal of physical prowess, however, and Rose made sure to maintain that.

"You could have at least asked," Rose huffed moodily, inspecting the tiny hole disdainfully.

Selina let out a sharp laugh. "You and I both know that you would have run from the room screaming if you saw me walk up to you with this."

"My point exactly, at least give me a fighting chance to get away," the girl answered moodily. "Speaking of which, where were you last night? I could have used a helping hand getting out of the museum."

A blush crept up Selina's face before she locked the case. "I was with Bruce… I'll be going back tonight so you can take a night off. We have plenty to sell right now."

As most thirteen-year-old girls are inclined to be, Rose was a bit of a gossip. She excitedly sat up and scooted closer to Selina, her earlier disturbance forgotten.

"Again?! Wow, things must be getting serious between you two. I can hear the wedding bells and the money bags now!"

Her mentor glared at her and said, "That's not funny. He's a very nice man. I really like—"

Rosie looked fit to burst. She bounced up and all but fell off the bed in response. To see and hear her mentor look so flustered was a real treat. The two of them got along in a very sister-like way. So, naturally, she was excited to see her closest companion so happy. Rose couldn't lie, sometimes it reminded her of the way her and Dick used to get along or bicker; reminded her of the way things should have been.

She frowned, touching a hand to her chest. That memory was still so fresh in her mind; the death of her parents. She would be lying if she didn't confess to the nightmares that she endured. Unfortunately, it was the only thing about her that she hadn't told Selina. The night that she was taken in she had simply lied and told her that she was an orphan who had been caught stealing. Though, it wasn't really a lie; was it? She often had to remind herself that she was, in fact, an orphan. An orphan with a missing person's report to boot. It was part of why she could never be captured. If she was caught by the authorities they would toss her in the system or find her brother. While she had long gotten over the fear of being charged with murdering her parents, she had never gotten past the guilt and blame that she put on herself. She doubted that her brother would ever forgive her either.

"Earth to the kid," Selina called out, waving a hand in front of Rose's face, "Anyone home?"

Rosie blinked for a moment in surprise. She had been so lost in her musings that she hadn't even noticed her only friend speaking to her. There were times that she wished she could confide in her about the death of her parents or how much she missed the circus and her brother. It was terribly lonely to carry the burden of their death all on her own. She forced a grin onto her face.

"Yeah, I'm okay. You were saying?"

Selina raised an eyebrow but didn't press the issue. "I was saying that I was going over to Bruce's and that I went grocery shopping yesterday… You can knock yourself out."

"Good. I'm pretty sure I am suffering from blood loss," she answered with a smirk.

That evening; Wayne Manor (one month before Rose and Dick's fourteenth birthday)

Bruce Wayne stared at his computer screen with a mixture of disbelief, inexplicable joy, and a touch of irritability. He had run a sample of blood from the vial that Selina had given to him through his system three times with all of them producing the same result. There was no mistaking it; no computer error or insufficient sample. The girl living with his… well, he wasn't sure what he could classify Selina as at this juncture… Either way, the girl living with her was none other than the dark haired little girl that he had saved five years ago not even an hour after her parents had fallen to their untimely deaths. The little girl who he had promised the boy that had become a son to him that he would never stop searching for until she was uncovered. It was written in plain sight:

ROSE MARIE GRAYSON

MISSING

Age: 13

Gender: Female

Closest Living Relative: Richard John Grayson

All of the time, all of the money, and all of the efforts he put into finding Dick's sister only for her to be hiding under his very nose this whole time. Now he was unsure what to do. Was he supposed to call Dick and share the news? Leave the information for when the boy came home and let him seek her out? It had been a long time since they had spoken of the child his sister was, perhaps the boy had moved on? Would it be best to leave them both alone and pretend he hadn't the faintest idea who she was?

"My, my, what have we here?", Alfred chortled behind him as if the old butler hadn't been snooping the whole time.

"How long have you been standing there, Alfred?", Bruce groaned even though he was unable to hide the amusement in his voice.

"Since you got the first results and ran the same test two more times. A waste of valuable resources if you are going to constantly second guess your very expensive equipment."

"I had to be sure," Bruce justified. "She has been living in Gotham this entire time with Selina Kyle…"

"That's quite the coincidence, Master Wayne. Shall I phone the boy for you?"

"No," Bruce said carefully, "he is on mission now. It will do no good to distract him."

"If I might be so bold, I do believe this is a worthy distraction for the lad. Will you be informing Miss Kyle about her charge's next of kin?"

Bruce nodded. That was probably the best way to handle things. He couldn't send the girl to the League's headquarters without explanation. It was definitely information that he wasn't supposed to know… However, he could provide Selina with an address and let her handle the girl's affairs. She had expressed, with his encouragement, finding the girl's family and delivering her to them.

"I'll give her an address," he mused, "and see if she does the right thing."

Mount Justice one week later (three weeks until Rose and Dick's fourteenth birthday)

Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep

Wally West groaned and rubbed a hand over his eyes. Something had woken him up early, like middle of the night early, but what? He looked around his room at headquarters, rising from his bed. The sound kept going, much to his relief even if it was the most annoying thing he had ever heard. He pulled his computer up and entered his password, grumbling the entire time. Whatever it was had better be worth waking him up at this time. If not he was going to—

"Oh damn…" he whispered, pulling up the alert on his computer. "How long has that been there?"

He checked the time stamp on the message: a week. Had he really not checked his computer in a whole week? So unlike him… Well, to be fair, they had all been extremely busy. It seemed like all he had time to do lately was train, and go to school. Thanks to Black Canary. He couldn't even remember the last time he played a video game. He rubbed the back of his head and opened the message, scanning over it with interest.

"Huh? I didn't think we were going to get a hit on that one…" he mused, going over the information inside.

He had completely honestly forgotten that he had even flagged that DNA profile. Robin had asked him to when they had first formed the team. He didn't give him an explanation, or a who, or even a what. Just told him that if there was a hit to let him know immediately. Robin had even gone so far as to demand that he not look into who it was. KF complied willingly; he was the first to respect the fact that Robin had his own personal life. He wasn't about to pry, which was more than he could say about Artemis. Come to think of it, Robin was the little tech monster of the group. Why had he even asked him to keep an eye on it?

"Well, someone in Gotham is looking for the same person you are, Robin," he mused aloud, getting ready to wake the Boy Wonder and discuss.

BEEOOOOOOP! BEEOOOOOOP! BEEOOOOOOP! BEEOOOOOOP!

Aqualad could be heard crashing out of his bed as Wally raced down the hall. He could hear Artemis grumble and flop back under her covers, she was definitely not going to help. Robin could be heard bouncing around his room trying to get himself assembled. Kid Flash let out a sigh; whatever he had to tell Robin could wait.

BRRRRRREEEEEEEEEE! BRRRRRREEEEEEEEEE!

Rose or, as she preferred when she was on a job, Blink began stuffing jewelry into the small pockets of her black, sparkling utility belt. Based on the alarms going off, she figured she had at least a couple more minutes to grab some goodies. She smirked, glad that Catwoman had finally deemed her worthy enough to work on her own. It gave her a certain level of freedom, that she wasn't used to. She could choose her own jobs, make her own allies. She wondered what other thieves would be hiding in Happy Harbor. It was a whole new adventure for her. Well, not entirely new… Selina had sent her with instructions to go to specific coordinates. Rose assumed it was some sort of ally or friend of Catwoman's that needed help. She was more than happy to assist, she just wanted to find her feet first.

"OooOooo!", she squealed, pulling out a short pearl necklace from the jewelry case that she had smashed upon entry. "Isn't this pretty?!"

"I'd put that down if I were you," a distinctly male voice called out.

She turned, her body shifting in its crouched position ever so slightly. She grinned, even though it would remain unseen underneath her mask, a guard that covered her nose and mouth that was decorated with a skull jawbone. It was the most important part of her costume. She stole the blueprints for it and built it in a rundown science facility just outside of Gotham. Her skill set had her often working with less than savory chemicals and the mask doubled as a filter to keep her from breathing them in. Tucking the necklace into her pocket, she gracefully stood and turned on the balls of her feet to greet her newest adversary. She cocked her head, the bangs of her short, black wig tickling her forehead. She surveyed the scene in front of her: a boy in red, black, and yellow, another boy clad in yellow and red, a girl with green skin, and a dark skinned boy who looked like he had gills. They appeared to have used the storefront window that she had kicked in. She giggled, raising a gloved hand to her mask to push back her synthetic hair.

"Oh my," she sighed, adopting a mock damsel voice. "Four of you and only one of me! What's a girl to do?"

The, admittedly good looking, red-head in yellow smirked. "You can start by putting back what you've taken."

She pursed her lips. "Well, it seems that the new girl in town gets no love. Care to tell me who you… heroes are?"

The one in the middle, the one with gills who was clearly the leader, puffed up his chest. "We're members of the Justice League and you're going to return what you stole and turn yourself in."

"Oh?" she asked, touching her finger to her chin, "And why would I do that?"

"Just return the jewels," the green girl commanded, ire lacing her features.

Rose quirked a brow, her right hand shifting around her utility belt for a small smoke bomb that she kept for emergency escapes.

"Just put them back," the boy in red and black huffed, pulling a sharp boomerang from the folds of his cape. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way, your choice. We're not going to let you get away with this."

"Well," she purred, "let me offer you a little bit of advice then?"

They all adopted a defensive stance, ready for her attack. She couldn't wipe the grin from her face. Being on her own in a new city was going to be the greatest thing to happen to her. She pinched the tiny, invisible if you didn't know to look for it, bomb between her thumb and forefinger as she raised her arm high. Without warning, the cloaked boy threw a weapon in her direction as she propelled her body into a perfect crouch. She slammed her hand down on top of her bomb, filling the room with smoke. The team coughed, all of them temporarily blinded by the billowing smoke. She crept past them and out the broken window that they had all come from. Knowing she only had one chance to make a good impression, she turned for a moment and called out to them before slinking into the alleyway behind the jewelry store.

"Don't blink."

"What is this stuff?", Kid Flash complained loudly. "It blinded me back there!"

"It's a chemical bomb of some kind," Robin explained. "And I think I know which one… A few years ago someone stole some blueprints from the Batcave. One of them was a prototype for a smoke bomb that was so small that if you weren't trained to look for it, you wouldn't see it. Only problem is that the particles inside can really do a number on your lungs if you use the bomb too often. Batman decided not to use it because he couldn't get around breathing in the particles without having to rebuild his mask."

Kaldur huffed, "Well, I think we found your thief."

"But who is this girl?", M'gann demanded angrily.

"I've got a solution for that," Robin announced proudly, pulling a bat-a-rang that was wrapped in a forensics bag from his belt. "I hit her, just not hard enough to stop her in time. There should be enough blood on there to pull some sort of match?"

Wally nodded, carefully taking the bloodied weapon. "I'll get started now."

Rose removed her mask and let it rest on the concrete floor next to her. She was nettled to say the very least; her first heist in a new town and she gets corned by the goodie-gang. Just who were they and how did they get to her so quickly? With a firm tug of her hand, her wig came off of her head and her multicolored, wavy hair exploded out from under it. She frowned, tossing the wig side to side—ignoring the burn in her bleeding arm—as she contemplated her night and how it went wrong. It was incredibly stupid of her to go on any sort of job, big or small, so soon after traveling from Gotham. She didn't even have a home base or so much as a bed to her name. She had told Selina that she would go straight to the location and deliver a sealed letter to the occupants and await further instruction. But how could she possibly go now with her skills so rusty? That would only give her, and Selina, a bad reputation.

"Rough night?", a voice called out in the darkness.

She leapt up, frantically. Her gut twisted as she mentally chastised herself for taking her mask and wig off so soon while at the same time trying to determine where the voice had come from. With a scowl, she flung her curls into a flat pile under her wig and hastily applied her mask. She had been wrong to assume that the empty warehouse that she had found would be safe enough to hide. She was so embarrassed by her behavior that she briefly considered turning back to Gotham with her proverbial tail between her legs.

"Who wants to know?", she finally answered as she continued to search around her. She shuddered ever so slightly when she thought she saw a red blur from the corner of her eye. "You are messing with the wrong girl here! Show yourself!"

"Heh," the mystery voice scoffed, "I didn't realize pink haired girls were so feisty. I'd be careful with hair like that, it makes you stand out."

Rose's hands clenched tightly. Who the hell was this asshole? What right did he have to stand there and mock her? She kept her back to the wall and turned very slowly, looking for her possible assailant. They wouldn't know what hit them. She was fast, trained to weasel her way out of tricky situations, but that didn't mean that she didn't know how to fight back. In a few moments a figure clad in a suit strode confidently in front of her, their hands held up in a pacifying gesture.

"Who are you?", she demanded, adopting a defensive stance.

Whoever it was, they were small; at least a few inches shorter than she was. They wore black jeans and a grubby black t-shirt. He tied it all together with a bulky black hoodie. Any identifying features were covered by a black ski mask. She glared, her rich blue eyes narrowing at him over her own bone mask. As the moonlight hit them she registered that it was definitely a boy hiding in that hoodie.

"I think the real question is who are you," he said smoothly, crossing the gap and staring at her. "Nice mask. What are you, some sort of superhero?"

She harshly pulled her face away from his and took several steps away from him, circling him dangerously. Now she was angry. Tonight was her first night in this city and she had so far found nothing but trouble. For all she knew this was an associate of those prissy little heroes who had ruined her earlier plans. Her mystery boy, chuckled behind his hand.

"Relax, I'm just wondering why you are in my warehouse is all."

"Your warehouse?", she asked haughtily. "I didn't see a name on the door."

He let out a snort and motioned for her to follow him, turning back into the darkness that he had come from. She hesitated, stubbornly standing her ground. She wasn't stupid. She had a job to work and she couldn't do that if she were kidnapped by some freak in a ski mask. This could be a trap leading her straight to those little terrors from earlier today. Then again, most heroes didn't claim warehouses with a hint of pride.

"Hey!", he called, doubling back and watching her. "You coming or what?"

She raised a brow and grabbed her backpack and duffel bag from the floor where she had stored it earlier that afternoon when she found the location. Worst case scenario, he was a hero come to take her to the police. She had already dodged four of those once today. What was one more? He seemed to nod, pleased with her, and led her through the dark warehouse and down a flight of stairs.

"You can relax," he called in the darkness, noticing how her steps became quieter and her breath had become almost soundless. "I'm not going to attack you in the dark or anything. If I wanted you subdued I would have made that happen by now."

"Who are you?", she asked, her voice soft but commanding.

"You're Blink."

She stopped in her tracks. How did he know that? Who was this kid? She took a careful step back, thankful for the darkness.

"Relax," he reiterated, turning a corner where she could make out a faint yellow sliver of light. "There's been rumors circling underground that Catwoman sent her sidekick this way. Consider yourself lucky that I'm the one who found you first."

"How did…", she couldn't even find the words to express how she felt about the situation.

"What?", the boy asked harshly, his silhouette shifting in the light in front of her. "You think Gotham is the only city that talks? Everyone in the city who wants a partner has been staking out the museum or the vaults waiting for you to get here."

She was silenced again. If what he was saying was true, he couldn't be a hero. Those little brats in the jewelry store had no idea who she was. They might know within a few days, but they were definitely surprised to see her. She continued to silently trek behind him, wondering what other information he would offer up to her.

"And what do you want?", she asked. "You said everyone who wanted a partner was looking for me… you don't look like you need one."

Before he answered her, light flooded the hall that they stood in. He had led her to a room in the basement of the warehouse. Inside, there was a mattress on the floor and a few odds and ends that could make up a bedroom if one tried hard enough. There was a large couch in one corner, a dresser and a mirror that was haphazardly fixed to the wall. Off a little ways was a small door that Rose assumed led to a bathroom. He stepped aside and motioned for her to enter the room. Rose frowned but accepted his offer. The door shut behind her and she jumped, her anxieties getting the best of her. She didn't like having her back to him, still not one hundred percent sure that he could be trusted.

"I get it ain't the Ritz, but it's better than the streets; I can promise you that," he said, leaning against the closed door. "You're bleeding by the way… not sure if you know that…"

"It's just a scratch," she murmured softly, hoping he wouldn't push the issue. He shrugged and tossed her a clean t-shirt to serve as a bandage. "Why did you bring me down here?"

"If you're hunkering down in a warehouse, you probably need a place to crash," he said casually. "At least for a night or two… I know what that's like. You're also new around here… figured you could use a hand. Not everyone here is who they say they are."

"I've got a job to do here for Se — Catwoman,"

"Does that job come with a room?",he countered. Rose could hear the smirk in his voice as he made his offer sound sweeter and sweeter.

"But what about our secret identities? I can't sleep with my mask on, and yours looks like it would suffocate you."

He paused for a minute, watching her carefully. She could feel the heat of his stare from behind his helmet. With a short sigh she watched him lift his mask above his head. She watched him carefully. The first thing she noticed were the dark locks that fell into his eyes. Then there was something in his eyes that was very unsettling. For a fleeting moment, his icy blue eyes frightened and chilled her to the core.

"Then let's ditch them for now, okay? I'm Jason."


	3. Chapter 3

"Awww, yeah!"

Robin looked up from his laptop to where KF had been hunched over his computer all morning. They were both looking up any and all information they could on the mysterious girl from the night before. Who was she? What did she want with the city? So far, their all night search had yielded no results. She wasn't in the criminal database, no DNA profile for him to track, and he couldn't even pull a Wanted Persons Report matching her description. Which meant that, if KF had found anything, it would be under her legal name. Good, made it easier for him to track. He smiled at his friend and stood.

"Great job, buddy," he praised, standing behind his teammate who was feverishly typing on his computer.

"Thanks, man. Oh! By the way, I finally got a hit on that profile you asked me to keep an eye on a couple of months ago," he said offhandedly.

Dick gave his friend a confused look. "What profile? Did I tell you who it was for?"

Wally looked up from his computer. "Nah, man. Just told me to let you know if anything came up on it. Turns out that last week someone ran the same profile in Gotham City…" He paused. "And it looks like we just ran the same profile here. You've been tracking Blink down for a while. I'm surprised you don't remember her."

Richard stared at his friend. Why on earth would he give Wally a DNA profile to flag? The only thing he ever flagged was—

"No way…", he breathed, his eyes going wide behind his mask. "That's not possible…"

"Mmm?", Wally hummed in response. He was too distracted trying to pull up the information on the samples to pay attention to what the Boy Wonder was saying.

Dick slammed his hand down, pulling the attention away from his search. "Stop. I'll take over from here."

"You sure?", the speedster was a little concerned. "I'm already almost" — the computer pinged and he turned to look at it — "That's weird… The file is blocked… There is a Missing Person's Report but it says it is classified, I can't get in without hacking it."

Call him crazy, but he could have sworn that he heard Dick let out a sigh of relief. However, the kid was barely holding his cool. All he wanted to do was push his friend out of the way and open the file himself. But that could compromise his identity and, more importantly, hers if anyone chose to walk in uninvited. The only other person who had the power in Gotham to read that file was his predecessor. But Wally had said that it had gotten a hit over a week ago? No! There was some mistake. Blink couldn't be his sister… Rose would never have become a thief. No. Rose was dead, he had to keep telling himself that now. There was no way she could be alive and unfound this whole time.

"Dick?", Wally began tentatively. "What is it?"

He sighed, it was hard _not_ to tell Wally what was wrong. Would it be so bad to have someone help him with this? Wally was his best friend and already knew his identity. He owed it to him to tell him about Rosie. Someone deserved to know. He let out a heavy sigh and pushed Wallace gently aside in the rolling chair and typed the passcode to get into the file. He had to bite back the feeling in his gut as one of the only pictures that existed of him and his family appeared on the screen. Several files opened behind it, including her Missing Persons Report, her DNA profile, last known location (a shopping mall just outside of Gotham three years ago), and a computer generated image of what she could look like now. His best friend's green eyes narrowed as he went over the files on screen. It seemed like it was taking a few moments to click and when it did he didn't believe it.

"I thought your name last name was Grayson?", he puzzled, his brain trying to find the same loop that Dick was. "How could this girl have the same last name? Maybe the profile ran wrong?"

Richard sighed and pulled up the missing person's report and their birth certificates. "She went missing the night my parent's died… I figured she was scared and got lost in the crowd… I mean, it made sense for her to be scared… She was right there when they… I figured she wouldn't have gone far…but after we couldn't find her."

"You think someone took her?", Wally asked, clearly disturbed by the thought.

"It's the only thing that makes sense," Robin concluded. "We were little kids. There is no way she could have gotten that far without someone who can drive. I never imagined this though…"

"Well, what are we waiting for?", Wally asked, turning the monitor off. "Let's get the team assembled."

Dick looked at him quizzically. He wasn't sure what they would think about helping him find his sister. The concept was so foreign to him that he had almost forgotten that she was, for the first time in years, within reach. "I don't think…"

"Come on, man! She is your _sister_. Let's go find her and bring her home."

Dick felt like the smile would never wash off his face. By the time their birthday would roll around, he would have his sister back! Of course the team would help him. He felt silly wondering why he thought they wouldn't. With his team helping, he was going to have his family back.

This was going to be totally asterous!

 _"Rose?"_

 _A hand reached out for her. Two hands; her mother and father's hands. She reached out and tried to catch them, even if the weight of it would only drag her down with them. As she toppled over the ledge, Batman scooped her up and flew her further and further from her falling parents. She watched them fall again; saw the dust settle around them again. Why had Batman been there to save her but not her parents? She turned to look at her rescuer but was met with a red bat emblazoned across his chest; Batman's face covered by a ski mask._

 _"Jason?", she whispered feebly._

She woke with a start, pushing her body up frantically and immediately looking for a fight. Anything to relieve the tension and adrenaline that was coursing through her veins. Her hands were balled into perfect fists, her body crouched like a coiled spring. Her breath became ragged and harsh as a single tear slipped through her careful facade. It had been two weeks since she met the street kid and she was already having nightmares about him. With a frustrated sigh she flopped herself back down into her stolen mattress and glared at the warehouse ceiling. Would the nightmares ever end?

"Morning," a less than cheerful voice called out in the dimly lit room. "Or should I say evening?"

She rolled her eyes and flipped Jason the finger. Her curls shifting as she rolled away from him. She knew he would have seen the tears. She knew he would have guessed that it was a nightmare but she really, really didn't want to deal with it right now. The inviting aroma of coffee pulled her from her musings. She looked up, Jason casually sitting by her mattress with a styrofoam cup of the magic elixir. A grin settled on her face and she very greedily took the drink from him. He smiled and pushed his mop of hair away from his eyes.

"I think you should go out tonight. Get you back off the training wheels," he suggested.

She shrugged, not entirely opposed to the idea of a little heist to get her back into the groove of things. Jason has been good enough to give her a little refresher course in "sneakery". She was so embarrassed by her performance in the jewelry store that she refused to even investigate the coordinates given to her until she felt confident in her abilities once again. If there was a job to be done then the team she had been assigned to would just have to fill her in when she got there.

Jason never told her who he had learned his secrets from but he taught her so she was grateful. She was actually rather eager to get back into the life. She craved it; the rush, the discipline required but coupled with the complete control over her own choices. She was the only one in charge of her fate. She was glad that Selina had instilled that independence and confidence in her. If only for purposes of thievery and stealth, it gave Rose an edge that most girls her age didn't have. She could walk into almost any situation with an 'I've got this' attitude.

"I have been taught by the best," she mused. "When should I go?"

He grinned mischievously as he pulled her mask from her stash of gadgets, tossing it to her. It landed in her lap between her loose hands.

"No time like the present. Bring me back something shiny, eh?"

Robin huffed moodily as the cool November wind shifted his short black hair across his forehead. It had been well over a week since his team leader had announced their plans to the Justice League to "find Blink and rehabilitate her before she became an established criminal". At least, that's how Kaldur phrased it to make things a little less suspicious to the League. All Robin cared about was seeing his sister again. He wondered, for what felt like the millionth time, if she would even remember him. Ugh! How was he supposed to know if the team never found her? Ever since the incident in the jewelry store, Blink had gone completely missing. No heists, no trouble whatsoever. It was like she knew that they were looking for her.

"Well," KF said beside him, appearing so quickly that it was as if he had materialized out of thin air, "that convenience store was just a couple of thugs. Already tied them up and they are waiting to be picked up. No sign of Blink though… Think she knows we are looking for her? Explains why she is so quiet…"

"How could she know?", Robin mused, slumping a little. "She's a thief… A good thief, sure, but it's not like she has our tech. How would she know the Team is looking?"

"Maybe she has help?", Wally suggested, lifting his goggles away from his face.

"Help? Who? She just got here. At least I think she—", Robin was cut off by a small alarm going off on his left hand. He sighed and pulled up his wrist computer, very quickly losing hope. "Another break-in… at a sandwich shop? Dude, who breaks into a sandwich shop?"

Kid Flash adjusted his goggles and grinned. "Well, let's go check it out."

It was probably nothing, like all the times before that. He had learned to stop getting his hopes up. Robin sighed and followed his friend feeling very disappointed again; heavy on the dis.

Blink carefully placed five small, square ampule-bombs in a circle on the floor of the shop. If Jason's calculations were correct, then this floor should lead her down a sewage tunnel that would lead her directly to the city's high security vaults. Now, all she had to do was melt the floor. The acid in these bombs should do the trick nicely and quietly. She remained calm as she switched her mask on, vaguely reminding herself that she should check the filter soon, and pressed the bomb closest to her. It exploded open soundlessly, burning acid spreading quickly onto the floor. She raced around the circle as fast as she could, pressing each switch deftly and darting away before she could be burned herself. Fumes began to rise as the acid began to deteriorate the wood. Shouldn't be a problem, her mask would have her—

Just as soon as the gasses hit her mask she knew something was wrong. Her next inhale was sharp and painful, causing her to gag and try to take in new breath. Wrong choice. All that poured into her lungs was more acidic gas. She choked violently, tumbling over and hacking wildly into her nonfunctioning mask. By some miracle, she had missed the puddle of acid that was now burning into the floor exactly as she planned. With every cough she ingested more and more gas which only made matters worse. She knew she had to roll into fresher air but she was coughing so much that she couldn't. Without realizing it, her coughing got weaker and weaker. She slumped onto the floor, a few hiccups escaping her suffocating body. As the world went dark she could have sworn she felt something tugging her arm.

 _"PAPPA! MAMMA!", she wailed, her hands stretched towards them as they slammed into the ground, dust surrounding them from the impact. She sobbed loudly and turned on the platform to find herself in the warehouse._

 _"ROSE!" She turned around again to find nothing but darkness and hear a voice so familiar yet so different. "Rosie, you gotta wake up! Please, wake up!"_

 _"We gotta get the mask off her!"_

 _Mask? What mask?_

Consciousness hit her like a bat to the head and she sat up. She took a few deep breaths, the cool and clean air causing her to cough feebly as she tried to push out the toxins in her lungs. Her head instantly ached and her throat felt like it was filled with lava that was about to burst out of her. Before she could even stop herself, she leaned forward and retched onto the concrete beside her, falling over limply next to the pile of disturbingly scented vomit. A hand lifted her up, supporting her limp body, while another pat her back, encouraging another cough from her.

"That's it, just gotta let it all come out. Robin, how about you call the others. We're gonna need the Bioship and tell M'gann to get an oxygen mask ready. She's gonna need all the clean air she can get."

Her eyes tried to push themselves open with no luck. Who was with her? Who had saved her? It was Jason… No, he wouldn't have an oxygen mask… The hands held her up and pat her again, forcing more harsh coughing from her. She heard footsteps in front of her stop suddenly and her face was scooped into gloved hands.

"What's wrong with her?!"

"Relax, she's fine. Breathed in some nasty stuff, is all. I wouldn't sit there though…"

The hand gently slammed into her back again and she lurched forward, her body forcing out another round of vomit and bile. It hurt. Breathing hurt, coughing hurt, sitting hurt. With a groan she tipped herself a little to the right hoping that she would just fall over. Lying down would fix the burn, she reasoned. Two new hands stopped her from hitting the ground and pulled her into a warm body with so much gentle care that it reminded her of home. The original hands squeezed her shoulder and she could hear footsteps coming back around to her face.

"Hey, kid," a kind and jovial voice said gently to her. "You're gonna be alright. Robin, sit there and let her breath. She shouldn't be moving too much for a while … Hey! Souvenir!"

Robin? That name was eerily and irritatingly familiar… Blink let out another groan and forced her eyes open. The first thing she saw was a red gloved hand reaching for her mask. Her eyes flit instantly upward to Kid Flash's face and scowled. That was _hers_. With a surge of anger and adrenaline, she shot upward, shoving her protector to the ground. KF looked up as she rolled forward, snatching her mask from the ground. She gasped and doubled over for a moment, the rushing movements making her dizzy and weak. In front of her stood Kid Flash, Robin sitting by the ground just behind him. Both watched her carefully. She let out a growl and pulled a flash bomb from her utility belt with her free hand.

"Hey… let's just take it easy, huh?", Kid Flash said nicely, holding his hands out as Robin stood up. "Let's not do anything hasty, okay?"

Suddenly he was gone and she was pulled back with Kid Flash's arms hooked around hers in an attempt to keep her still; her bomb clattered to the ground as he applied pressure. She struggled, her body still too weak from fighting the toxins in her system. This was supposed to be an easy heist! Why couldn't she do anything right? How could she be trusted to work with Selina's friends when she couldn't even handle a tiny heist on her own?! With a growl and a burst of energy she curled her legs into a ball in front of her and then forced them up and over behind her head. The balls of her feet collided into Kid Flash's nose. With a shout he fell over, releasing her so that she finished her flip behind him. She dashed to the left and grabbed her mask, wheezing the entire time. It was hers and she would be damned if anyone took it. She turned to run when Robin finally spoke up.

"Wait!", he called, his hand reaching for her. "We aren't here to hurt you! We know who you are and we've come to take you back to your family!"

Her eyes darted between him and Kid Flash, trying not to give away how weak she really was. She couldn't stay here but she also wasn't sure how much energy she really had to outrun a speedster. Not to mention she remembered something about a ship arriving soon. She found herself very irritated with their attempted sabotage.

She scoffed and managed to force out, "I don't _have_ a family."

" _Yes_ , you _do_ ," Robin argued, taking another step closer to her.

She coughed violently but managed to stay upright and defensive. "You don't even know who I am."

"Actually," Kid Flash corrected, looking very confident as he stood, " we do. You're Rose Grayson. You were one of the Flying Grayson kids. Your twin has been looking for you and hired us to track you down."

The source of KF's confidence became clear as the Bioship landed almost silently behind the two boys. Blink swallowed thickly, her eyes betraying her hurt at the mention of her brother. It wasn't true. It was just a trick to try to get her to come with them. How dare they try to use her most painful memory to coerce her into compliance! How dare they?!

Fortunately, they hadn't seen her outside of her wig. When she got away she would be able to go back to Gotham undetected and away from these junior heroes who had nothing better to do than harass her. She glanced down at her mask, longing to go back to the streets of Gotham where she and Catwoman had created a home for the lost girl. The lost girl who had lost everything in one fateful night and used theft as a means to fill the empty holes that it left.

"Please," Robin pleaded. "Just come back with us. We'll bring you home… D-Don't you want to see your family?"

She glared up, angrily.

"You idiots…", she seethed pulling out an explosive. " _I DON'T HAVE A FAMILY!_ If you imbeciles knew anything about me then you would know that I killed my parents and that my brother _hates_ me!" Her voice had become an angry scream.

The doors to the ship opened but no one exited the vessel. Blink backed away, her breathing thicker and harder with both tears and toxins. Kid Flash tossed Robin a nervous look as the boy stepped back a little in surprise. She kept her arm raised with the explosive in hand, ready to throw it. Blink couldn't for the life of her figure out why they weren't just attacking her. KF turned to her again, arms out in surrender.

"Okay… How about you just hop on the ship and take in a little bit of oxygen. You get to breathe and go free!"

She scoffed. "What do you think I am? Stupid? I know that if I get on that ship then I'm" — she was cut off by a sharp pinch in her neck and she began to feel woozy instantly — "never… getting off…"

KF's face appeared in front of her blurred vision with a gentle smile. "Yeah, I know. But I had to say _something_ to get you aboard! Welcome to the team, Blink!"

"…team…?", she whispered as he scooped her up in his arms and she lost consciousness again.


End file.
